2nd February 2014
One day I’ll learn to use this WordPress program properly and then I’ll try to organise all the information regarding Vertues in a nice list with all the sail numbers. In the meantime I’m afraid its all a bit random.

Last week I got a nice email from Ben Deveson in Holland who has just purchased V61 called “Virtue”. Unusually she is built of steel and believed to be one of three. I had a look in the “Blue Book” and two are listed as being built in 1954 by Hitters and Proost, Netherlands (V61 and V64). There is no mention of V62 or V63 so maybe there are three steel Vertues. The sail number in the “Blue Book” is H331. She looks like great a testament to Dutch steel boatbuilding. Ben is keen to get her sailing as soon as all the other yachts penning her in the shed have been launched. He will then sail her to his mooring by his house in Badhoevedorp for some minor upgrading before embarking on some adventurous cruising the following year. The boat still has her original cotton sails! Hopefully we will meet up when Sumara returns from St Petersburg in 2015/16.
Last week I met Philip who owns Vertue 11 V14 called Corinna. Corinna is currently moored snuggly in Dover sheltering from the appalling weather. Last year we sailed together across the Channel and Corina beat Sumara by quite a distance. As Corinna is having a new set of sails this year I think I shall decline any future racing although hopefully a bit of East Coast Cruising may be possible without undo embarrassment.
We both went to a talk by Robin Knox-Johnston on the Cutty Sark. They have built an 80 seat theatre inside the ship. We weren’t too impressed when he proudly announced that he shot a shark for no apparent reason other than sharing the same sea. Nevertheless everyone seemed to enjoy the talk. I can’t honestly say that I did.
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